


grocery shopping

by belivaird_st



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 16:34:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14675064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Carol and Therese do a little grocery shopping and wind up facing the likes of Richard Semco and his brand new girlfriend in the store ...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I could extend this for another chapter, but only for 1 or 2 more. I dunno. I certainly like where it ends off leaving the reader to imagine...

At the market, Therese pushed their grocery cart towards a small row of refrigerated doors in the dairy section and waited for Carol to grab the carton of eggs and jar of milk. Carol placed the items gently inside the cart before continuing on with the list.

"We need a bag of flour," Carol declared.

"I'll go get it," Therese replied, stepping away from the cart moving towards the fourth aisle down across from a wooden crate display of cantaloupes. She made a sharp turn into the aisle and stood in front of the shelves that shared the pounds of packaged flour and sugar. Therese reached for the flour and once she held it against her burgundy cardigan, there she saw Richard pushing a shopping cart along with a tall, freckled ginger, wearing bookish, librarian-type glasses.

_They were coming towards her direction._

"Terry!" Richard greeted her, all smiles and charm. "I never thought I'd see you here!"

"I grocery shop like everyone else, Richard," Therese scowled. She shifted the bag of flour in her hands and stared at the girl that was with him.

"This is my girlfriend, Delphine Schwartz," Richard explained, extending his arm out to wrap the girl's waist. "Delphie, this is the Terry that I've been telling you about..."

"Oh, really? That's _her?_ " Delphine exclaimed. Her voice sounded thick and phlegmy like she had a really bad cold.

Therese glared. "You've been talking about me?"

"Well, yeah, of course!" Richard laughed.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Theresa," Delphine giggled.

" _Therese_." The bag of flour weighed heavier than she remembered and slipped through her arms; landing hard on the orange-tile linoleum floor with a soft 'plop' spilling a cloud of it on parts of her skirt.

"Still clumsy, I see," Richard snickered. Delphine giggled beside him and pressed a hand over her mouth. "We're going bowling later. Would you like to come?" They watched Therese brush off her skirt before bending over to pick up the bag of flour. Carol approached them now, pushing both her and Therese's grocery cart to a slow stop. Her expression widen at the sight of Richard Semco, but then quickly transformed and softened with a bemused grin.

"Oh, hi," Richard said, looking past Therese at Carol, who glanced down the moment her girlfriend dropped the pound of flour loudly onto the cart with a clang. 

"Hello, Richard," Carol spoke, formally. She gazed upon Delphine, who looked absolute awestruck over such beauty in a downtown grocery store. Her mouth gaped wide open. Therese wanted to shove the cart into her.

"Carol, you remember Richard," Therese introduced. "That's Delphine Schwartz..."

"Nice to meet you, Delphine," Carol nodded politely.

"You’re soo pretty," Delphine gushed.

Carol smirked, but shifted her gaze upon Richard, who looked awkward and uncomfortable. 

"We had just invited Terry to go bowling with us," he explained. "Would you like to come?"

"I never said I wanted to," Therese seethed.

Carol smiled. 

"That sounds like fun," she said, surprising all three of the young adults.

**xxxx**


	2. Chapter 2

“I guess we can meet you at Striker Joe’s around seven then?” Richard shrugged. Delphine started bopping her head along beside him, smiling so wide, her teeth probably hurt from the tightness of her swishy, orange ponytail.

“Yes, of course,” Carol replied, wiggling her long, slender fingers at them as they waved goodbye and moved along to finish the rest of their shopping.

Therese gazed up at Carol, mortified.

“You _want_ us to go bowling with Richard? _Why?_ ” she exclaimed.

“I think it’d be nice to get out of the house for a bit,” Carol spoke, calmly. “I can’t even remember the last time I picked up a bowling ball!” She laughed as she stepped over and grabbed a pound of sugar to place it inside the cart. Therese just stared at her as Carol pushed their carriage forward to finish going through the aisle.

**xxxx**

Carol and Therese arrived at Striker Joe’s on time, finding Richard and Delphine already changing into their red-and-blue bowling shoes at their chosen lane. They were both seated at the score table and waited for the two women to check out their own pair size of bowling shoes over by the front desk. Therese carried her clown colored shoes in one hand as she followed Carol close behind. 

“Hi, girls! Richard and I are so glad you made it!” Delphine said, sitting back tall and straight. “You can take a few minutes changing into your shoes... Have either of you bowled before?”

“Yes,” Carol and Therese chorused together.

“Well, it’s been ages for me,” Carol added. 

“Me too,” Therese agreed.

Richard wrinkled his nose up that got Delphine laughing. She eventually controlled herself and removed a tiny pencil sticking behind her left ear. 

“Are we in teams? Shall I keep score?”

“Go for it,” Carol said, making the girl blush. 

Therese glared on while Richard took a few minutes to stretch and flex all the muscles in his arms. 

It was decided by a coin toss, that Richard’s team of him and Delphine would be the ones to bowl first. The young man rolled up both sleeves of his light blue work shirt before he came across to the small row of bowling balls. Richard blew his fingers before picking up the third ball. He positioned his body; standing very still for a couple of seconds before heading towards the lane to give out a smooth underthrow; letting the bowling ball roll across the smooth, polished wood; hitting at least four pins on the right. 

Delphine cheered and marked down Richard’s first hit. She gestured with the end of the pencil that it was Carol’s turn next. 

Therese watched Carol rise up from their score table next to the one Delphine was sitting at, and turn around briefly to look down at her.

“Wish me luck,” Carol whispered. 

“Good luck,” Therese murmured. Her eyes trailed after the blonde, stepping onto the shiny platform, still looking magnificent in her blouse and pantsuit, including those clownish, red-and-blue bowling shoes. Richard politely picked up a new bowling ball and held it out for Carol to take. Carol took it and waited for Richard to go sit down. As soon as he did, leaning across from Delphine, all eyes were on Carol, watching her with total silence.

With the bowling ball pressed underneath her chin, Carol slowly walked towards the fresh new set of pins before gracefully drawing her right arm back and then swinging it to let go; making the ball roll forward evenly across. 

Carol made six pins fall. Therese clapped happily at her table from seeing such good performance. Richard rolled his eyes at his seat while Delphine busily marked Carol’s score. 

Delphine stuck the pencil back behind her ear before going next. She giggled as Carol flipped her hair back as she moved past her to go and sit back down. Richard encouragingly cheered on as everyone watched the ginger struggle to pick up a ball; making it soon roll and land right into the gutter. Trying again, she threw her second bowling ball and got two pins to fall down.

Last, but not least, it was Therese’s turn. Carol winked at her once she rose from their score table and clunkered away in her bowling shoes. On the shiny wooden platform, she reached down for her choice of ball. Almost dropping it, she struggled as she carried the bowling ball towards the pins as soon as the machine switched to another fresh new set. 

Richard began barking like a dog, trying to mess around and make Therese lose her concentration. Delphine, giggling, told him to be quiet. Richard didn’t and kept barking and howling, knowing Therese well enough to hit a nerve.

Carol, with quick haste, got out from her seat and came right up behind Therese in their clown shoes, guiding her along by their bodies pressing up against each other. Therese gasped as soon as she felt Carol’s arms slip around hers with their hands covered together; helping her position the bowling ball and how to properly throw.

“Bring your arm back slightly,” Carol purred close to her ear. “Then swing, like so...” their arms swung forward together and saw the ball drop and roll shakily across before smashing into the center of the pins, getting a total of five to collapse and drop. 

“Cheaters! That’s _cheating!_ ” Richard outburst. He was completely furious now.

Delphine just gawked with the glare in her glasses while Carol and Therese exchanged this sort of look nobody, not even her, could be a part of. The women smiled and silently held on to each other as they made their way back to sit down.


End file.
